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Welcome to the neighborhood
Bobcats , Lynx rufus , are modest , strapping bozo that are obtain throughout North America . There are 12 recognized race of Lynx rufus that range from southerly Canada to northerly Mexico . In the American Southwest , where human has extend to establish his homes farther from the center of establish city , the urban bay lynx has become a common subdivision neighbor .
Anybody home?
Bobcats by nature are carnivores . In these newly developed communities , close to their undisturbed raw surroundings , the urban bobcat is often seen in the early morning or late evening stroll through the newly develop neighborhood in search of small prey .
Ready for a dinner guest?
Shown in these photos is the subspeciesLynx rufus baileyithat pass most commonly in the Sonoran Desert - scrub and chaparral home ground of the American Southwest . A typical male person will be 2 to 4 animal foot ( 0.61 to 1.2 meters ) in length , 18 to 24 in ( 46 to 61 centimeters ) tall and weigh between 15 and 35 Irish punt ( 6 and 15 kilograms ) . The females will be somewhat little . Their foresighted , pointy ear are tipped with dim tufts , and both genders have heavy , snowy side - sensory hair .
Checking out the area
Bobcats ' primary food source is the desert cottontail , Sylvilagus audubonii , and the black - tailed jackrabbit , Lepus californicus , with whom they divvy up their natural environment . They are order to be crepuscular , meaning their greatest periods of activity are during the clip of dawn and dusk to mirror the activity patterns of their two primary quarry specie .
Not a picky eater
But a hunting bobcat is the classic opportunist and will quickly make a meal of other small animate being , such as ground squirrels , mouse , birds , woodwind instrument rat , insects and reptiles . A hungry bobcat will aggressively take on an occasional rattlesnake rather than go hungry . Sadly , bobcats have been known to capture unattended domesticated quat or even small dogs .
Who me?
The bobcat ’s scientific name , Lynx rufus , is a great descriptor of the animal ’s beautiful appearance . Lynx is a Latin word that refers to the computed tomography ’s amazing eyes , as it means " light , " and rufus is Latin for the various specter of " reddish - tan " that make up the animal ’s beautiful fur coat . Their underside are always milklike in people of color , and the intact coating is compensate with dappled black berth .
Peek-a-boo
bay lynx are known by many unwashed , regional names . Bay catamount , wildcats , pallid bobcats , catamounts , true cat lynx and flushed catamount are all epithet attribute in some contribution of the continent to the bobcat . Bobcats are usually seen alone . When picture in groups , the soul are normally a union pair , or sib or a mother with her kittens .
I spy …
The months of February and March make up the mating time of year for bobcats . A litter of two to four kittens will be born in May to early June . Bobcat kittens lean to stay with their mother for seven to 12 month depend on the local food provision . A bobcat has a innate life span of 10 to 15 years .
A namesake
Bobcats get their common name from their tails that are brusque than most other qat . The poor , " bobbed " tail is only about 10 inch ( 24 cm ) in length with the top hairs of the tip being black . The hunting territorial dominion of a Lynx rufus can vary greatly ground on the dominion ’s character . image have been documented as small as 1 square air mile ( 2.6 substantial klick ) to as large as 40 straight miles ( 104 solid km ) . An urban bobcat ’s range is ordinarily significantly reduced because of the ample cony / rodent foods typically constitute within an urban neighborhood .
Taking a moment
Urban bobcats coexist with their human neighbors unmistakably well . There are only a few documented negative interactions between Lynx rufus and the humans of their share neighborhood . The greatest risk for urban bobcats is accidental poisoning that can come about from wipe out rodents that have take in some type of household pesticide ( crumb poison ) . Vehicle bang are also a risk in an urban setting as are attack from large , aggressive frankfurter .
On the prowl
Water is a primary attraction for bobcats in the dry , southwest desert area . Backyard swim pools , birdbaths , fountain and even favored water dishes will attract this thirsty feline . Bobcats have been known to easily surmount a 12 - foot - mellow fence to get into a coolheaded , refreshing backyard .
